rill( aim of this chapter is to provide a short crit ical account of exta nt economic III 'or y( ies) of the fi rm, business (and industry organi zation), and the state and nuvc rTlment. We explo re competing perspectives, such as the neoclassical ('l ollom ics, transaction costs, evolutionary, resource, capabilit ies, and system I", sed as well as Marxist and identify common ground and d iffe rences. We also I1 I1Clllpl a limited eclectic synthesis. The task of covering such apparently diverse lo pi cs in the co ntext of a single entry is facilitated by the fact that extant 11 1t t: rnative economic perspectives have implications on all the aforementioned Ihco ri es. (However, we do not enter the important issue of public and/or hu, in ess policy, due to space considerations). We also try to show that the issues lI t hand are central to an appreciation of international organization and systemwide economic perfo rmance.

rill( aim of this chapter is to provide a short crit ical account of exta nt economic III 'or y( ies) of the fi rm, business (and industry organi zation), and the state and nuvc rTlment. We explo re competing perspectives, such as the neoclassical ('l ollom ics, transaction costs, evolutionary, resource, capabilit ies, and system I", sed as well as Marxist and identify common ground and d iffe rences. We also I1 I1Clllpl a limited eclectic synthesis. The task of covering such apparently diverse lo pi cs in the co ntext of a single entry is facilitated by the fact that extant 11 1t t: rnative economic perspectives have implications on all the aforementioned Ihco ri es. (However, we do not enter the important issue of public and/or hu, in ess policy, due to space considerations). We also try to show that the issues lI t hand are central to an appreciation of international organization and systemwide economic perfo rmance.